The Emergence Of Web Technology
What is Web Tech?
Web technology is the development of the mechanism that allows two or more computing devices to communicate over a network. Communication on a computer could never be as effective as they are without web technologies in existence. Web technology has revolutionised communication methods and has made operations far more efficient.
For instance, to view a web page we use some browser. In the search box, you want to search something, the thing you want must be somewhere. These somewhere are called as Servers. After fetching the results from the server, it will transfer it to your browser.
The web page you see on the Net is written in some language like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. and the data will be available in some database. There must be some communication between your browser and Server that communication will be done through some protocol, today we use HTTP, Hypertext transfer protocol.
In olden days, Internet was restricted to scientific labs and computer science departments of universities.
Internet was created nearly 40 years ago, as a project for the US Department of Defence(DoD). Its goal was to create a method for widely separated computers to transfer data efficiently even in the event of a nuclear attack. From a handful of computer and users in 1960, today the internet has grown to millions of networks that can connect billions of users.
We often use the term Internet and web without distinction but they are not the same. The internet is a global data communication system. It is a hardware-software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, The Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.
The Architecture-:
The initial period of the IT history shows domination of mainframes. The architecture of these mainframes was invariably single tiered and followed a centralized model, where the systems were connected to several ‘Dumb’ terminals. These terminals just acted as the conduit for input/output between the system and the user. Early mainframes did not even have a console or a terminal. Card readers were often used for submitting the jobs and printers were used as the output from the systems.
In later 1970s Client/Server architecture started appearing. As per Microsoft, the client portion of the application is typically optimized for user interaction, whereas the server portion provides centralized, multi-user functionality.
There are two broad types of Clients-: 1. Thick client 2. Thin client
- Thick clients are essentially software applications, running on the client system to process the user input. They can carry out bulky operations at the client system itself.
- Thin clients are the natural progression to the thick clients. Like the Thick client, they process the user input. However, these clients push most of the procession task on to the Server side. They just carry out a minimal procession and were designed to be lightweight applications.
Web Hosting
Nowadays you need not to have all the infrastructure for creating a good server space. We have something called “Web Hosting Service”.
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients.
This is one of the advancements of web technology:- There are two type of hosting services -: 1) Smaller hosting services 2) Larger hosting services
I) Smaller Hosting Services
In the case of Smaller Hosting services, basic web pages and small-scale file hosting will be there, where files can be uploaded via FTP (file transfer protocol). Many ISPs (Internet service providers) offer this service free to subscribers.
In this, we have Free web hosting service offered by different companies with limited services when compared to paid hosting. Single page hosting is also available which is sufficient for personal web pages.
II) Larger hosting services
In the case of Larger hosting services, complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms. These facilities allow customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management.
In this we have 1) Shared web hosting 2) Dedicated hosting service 3) Cloud hosting 4) Clustered hosting
A) Shared Web Hosting-:
Shared web hosting service in which one’s website is placed on the same server as many other sites, ranging from a few sites to hundreds of websites. Typically, all domains may share a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU. The features available with this type of service can be quite basic and not flexible in terms of software and updates.
B) Dedicated hosting service -:
Dedicated hosting service in which the user gets his or her own Web server and gains full control over it. However, the user typically does not own the server. One type of dedicated hosting is self-managed or unmanaged. This is usually the least expensive for dedicated plans. The user has full administrative access to the server, which means the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated server.
C) Cloud hosting -:
Cloud hosting(VPS)service is a new type of hosting platform, A cloud-hosted website may be more reliable than alternatives since other computers in the cloud can compensate when a single piece of hardware goes down. Cloud hosting also allows providers to charge users only for resources consumed by the user, rather than a flat fee for the amount the user expects they will use, or a fixed cost upfront hardware investment. Alternatively, the lack of centralization may give users less control over where their data is located which could be a problem for users with data security or privacy concerns.
D) Clustered hosting -:
Clustered hosting is having multiple servers hosting the same content for better resource utilization. Clustered servers are a perfect solution for high-availability dedicated hosting, or creating a scalable web hosting solution. A cluster may separate web serving from database hosting capability.
Client Side
From the client’s perspective, we have cloud services and are categorized into three types -:
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- PaaS (Platform as a Service)
- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
1 ) SaaS -:
SaaS uses the web to deliver applications that are managed by a third-party vendor and whose interface is accessed on the clients’ side. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required, although some require plugins. Because of the web delivery model, SaaS eliminates the need to install and run applications on individual computers. With SaaS, it’s easy for enterprises to streamline their maintenance and support. E.g. google apps, online file converters etc.
2 ) PaaS -:
PaaS is used for applications, and other development while providing cloud components to software. What developers gain with PaaS is a framework they can build upon to develop or customize applications. PaaS makes the development, testing, and deployment of applications quick, simple, and cost-effective. With this technology, enterprise operations, or a third-party provider, can manage OSes, virtualization, servers, storage, networking, and the PaaS software itself. Developers, however, manage the applications.
PaaS allows you to create applications using software components that are built into the PaaS. Applications using PaaS inherit cloud characteristic such as scalability, high-availability. Enterprises benefit from PaaS because it reduces the amount of coding necessary, automates business policy, and helps migrate apps to a hybrid model. e.g. online compiler or IDE etc.
3) IaaS-:
IaaS Is a self-service model for accessing, monitoring, and managing remote datacentre infrastructures, such as to compute, for storage, networking, and networking services (e.g. firewalls). Instead of having to purchase hardware outright, users can purchase IaaS based on consumption, similar to electricity or other utility billing.
Compared to SaaS and PaaS, IaaS users are responsible for managing applications, data, runtime, middleware, and OSes. Providers still manage virtualization, servers, hard drives, storage, and networking. Many IaaS providers now offer databases, messaging queues, and other services above the virtualization layer as well. What users gain with IaaS is infrastructure on top of which they can install any required platform. Users are responsible for updating these if new versions are released. E.g. Rackspace, Google Compute Engine.
One Liner
In one line, SasS means control nothing, PaaS means to control something, IaaS means to control everything.
Thanks For reading
And Keep learning.
By-: Adarsh Kumar
